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24 people lose their homes during massive condo fire

Posted at 10:18 AM, Apr 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-02 08:28:35-04

24 people have been displaced and four people were taken to the hospital following a massive condominium fire early Sunday morning. 

The 18-unit condo building at Owens Landing Court caught fire just before 3 a.m. and it took nearly 100 firefighters to extinguish the flames.

Click below to see more pictures from the fire: 

Firefighters were able to break through the three-alarm fire to save a 93-year-old woman who was stuck on the third floor of the building. She was airlifted to the hospital and officials have not released her condition at this time. 

Three other people were taken to the hospital for minor and non-life threatening injuries. 

Officials say it took nearly four hours to bring the fire under control and the building is considered to be a complete loss. There is also heat damage to the two buildings surrounding the one that caught fire. There are seven total buildings in the Owens Landings complex. 

As the smoke slowly clears out the 24 people who lived there are now figuring out how to start over.

Trisha Vaughn spent most of her day filling out insurance claims and looking at the pile of smoldering debris that used to be her home.

“My building was right here on the top. There was steps right there so when we came down the steps ashes and ambers were going everywhere,” Vaughn said.

She and her husband were sleeping when a neighbor pounded on the door to tell her to get out.

“Went to open the door again,it was hot and smokey,” Vaughn said. "All I could think about was to grab some wet cloths to put over our face. Then we went down the steps and when we went down the whole building all the way across was just engulfed in flames.”

Only minor injuries,but a loss of lifetimes of memories.

“My whole life all my collectibles, my jewelry, I don’t even have a comb,” Vaughn said. “Just a small thing like that I’m just very grateful we all got out.”

She’s grateful that her daughters plan to visit for Easter was delayed.

“That’s who I thought was knocking on the door mom I’m here. It wasn’t her and I’m so thankful because she would have been sleeping on that third floor.”

The American Red Cross is giving the people who lost their homes place to stay and some supplies.

An early assessment by investigators indicates there is an estimated $2 million worth of damage caused by the fire. 

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire.